Chapter 1

• ONE
• I finished scrubbing the floors of the villa and glanced out the window. The wind was picking up, and the sky had turned an ominous shade of grey.
• “Freya, I’m heading out. Storm’s coming. Be careful on your way home,” Morgan, my coworker, called over her shoulder.
• “I will, don’t worry!” I called back.
• As I wiped the last bit of grime from the floor, my hands ached from the day’s work, but I had no choice. I had to keep this job—without it, I’d have nothing.
• Ever since my mother died, my father’s new family made it clear from the start that I was unwelcome, a burden they barely tolerated. At sixteen, every other werewolf shifted. But not me. I was still nothing. My stepmother and stepsister relished in reminding me I wasn’t part of their world. My father didn’t even try to stop them. They fed me scraps and made me feel like an outsider in my own home.
• If I didn’t work, I wouldn’t eat, they wouldn’t care if I starved. This job at the villa—cleaning for hours, sometimes well into the night—was my only lifeline. It wasn’t much, but it was better than facing the cold reality of going to bed hungry.
• This villa, though empty most days, was a sanctuary. The magistrate who owned it rarely visited, and the peace it offered made it feel more like home than the place I was headed back to.
• Home. The word left a bitter taste in my mouth.
• The rain fell relentlessly as I hurried home from the villa. Icy drops stung my face and soaked through my jacket, chilling me to the bone. No matter how fast I walked, the cold clung to me, sinking into my skin like the memories I could never escape.
• I had always hated Fridays.
• For most people, Fridays were a time to relax, to reconnect with loved ones and let go of the week’s troubles. But not for me. Fridays—especially the last one of the month—were a reminder of everything I wasn’t.
• Tonight, the full moon would rise, casting its pale, eerie glow over the town, transforming the streets into a playground for wolves preparing for the Crimson Rituals. The air would thrum with the wild energy of power, hunger, and primal instincts.
• For a wolfless girl like me, it was dangerous to be out after dark.
• The road leading home was deserted, the windows of the houses shuttered tight. The world felt unnaturally still, every shadow stretched long and threatening, as if the darkness itself was watching.
• As I turned down a narrow alley, a chill that had nothing to do with the rain, crept up my spine.
• I wasn’t alone. There was something lurking in the blackness, something waiting just beyond the edges of my sight.
• It started as a low growl, barely audible over the rain. I froze, my pulse quickening. Slowly, I turned, eyes scanning the shadows behind me.
• A pair of eyes, glowing amber, emerged from the darkness. And then, a hulking shape stepped into the light.
• A wolf. But not just any wolf. This one was in a frenzy.
• The moon was driving him mad. His fur was matted, eyes wild, and his breath came in ragged, desperate gasps. I took a step back, my heart hammering in my chest. I knew enough about frenzied wolves to know what they were capable of.
• His gaze locked onto me, and something dark and predatory flashed across his face.
• “Stay back,” I warned, though my voice trembled.
• The wolf snarled, his lips curling back to reveal sharp teeth. And then he lunged.
• I screamed, stumbling backward as his body collided with mine. His claws tore through my jacket, pinning me to the wet pavement. Panic surged through me as I struggled beneath him, the weight of his body crushing me into the ground.
• “No... please,” I gasped, terror clawing at my throat.
• But the wolf didn’t stop. His breath was hot and rank as he buried his nose against my neck, growling low in his throat.
• I thrashed beneath him, but it was no use, he was too strong, and I was powerless against the sheer weight of his body pressing me into the wet ground.
• “No!” I screamed again, but my voice was swallowed by the storm.
• His rough hands pawed at me, pulling my clothes apart with a sickening ease, his snarls growing more animalistic as he prepared to take what he wanted.
• My struggles were growing weaker, my limbs heavy with exhaustion and dread.
• The cold air bit into my exposed skin as he forced my legs apart, and the realization crashed over me like a wave—I couldn’t stop him. He was going to violate me, and I had no strength left to fight.
• My body trembled uncontrollably, paralyzed by fear and helplessness. I could feel the heat of his body pressing into me, the sharp sting of his claws digging into my hips as he held me down. My mind raced, searching for an escape, but the weight of his power crushed every ounce of hope left inside me.
• I was going to be taken. There was no stopping it. I was too weak.
• But then, something changed. A low, feral snarl cut through the storm, louder than the thunder, louder than the wolf’s growls. The pressure on my body shifted, and in an instant, the weight was torn away from me, the frenzied wolf yanked back with such force that the air itself seemed to crackle.
• I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I scrambled backward, my body trembling uncontrollably. My vision was blurry with tears, but through the rain, I saw it.
• A black wolf.
• He was massive, larger than any werewolf I’d ever seen, his fur dark as midnight and dripping with rain. His eyes glowed a fierce crimson, burning with raw, uncontained power. He had the frenzied wolf pinned beneath him in an instant, his massive jaws clamping down on the other’s neck with terrifying strength.
• The frenzying wolf thrashed and snarled, but he was no match for the Black Wolf. In seconds, the fight was over. The Black Wolf’s snarl echoed through the empty street as he threw the defeated wolf aside like a rag doll. The other creature whimpered and fled into the night, tail between its legs, leaving me alone with the terrifying presence of the Black Wolf.
• I couldn’t move. My body was frozen in place, shock and fear mingling in my veins as I stared at the enormous creature standing before me. He turned his head slowly, his crimson eyes locking onto mine, and the world seemed to fall away.
• For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
• His gaze pierced through me, and a strange, unfamiliar warmth bloomed in my chest. There was something about him, something that went beyond the terror and danger. It was like he could see straight into me—into my very soul.
• I should have been terrified. I should have run.
• But I didn’t.
• Instead, I felt an undeniable pull, a connection I couldn’t understand. The rain fell harder, soaking through my clothes, but all I could feel was the intensity of his presence. His power radiated off him in waves, raw and untamed. His aura was overwhelming, suffocating, but instead of fear, I felt something else stirring deep within me.
• The Black Wolf took a step forward, and I flinched, expecting the worst. But instead of attacking, he paused, his massive head lowering slightly, his gaze softening for just a fraction of a second. He was studying me.
• He didn’t kill me.
• Why?
• Before I could make sense of the moment, a clap of thunder shook the air, snapping us both out of the strange trance. The Black Wolf let out a deep, rumbling growl, his glowing crimson eyes narrowing as if something had unsettled him. With a final, piercing glance, he turned away from me, his massive form melting into the shadows like a phantom. In an instant, he was gone, swallowed by the storm, leaving me drenched and trembling in the empty street.
• I was alive. Somehow, I had been saved.
• My entire body quaked as I pushed myself up from the ground, my legs weak beneath me. The rain continued to fall in relentless sheets, mixing with the blood from the scratches on my skin.
• I reached for the torn remnants of my clothes, trying to cover myself as best I could. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest tight with disbelief.
• The lights of my house flickered in the distance. I was almost home. But I know, the real nightmare was only beginning．
• It was time to face the nightmare I called family.